Young Justice: Aftermath
by justinator119
Summary: This fanfiction follows the story of Young Justice post-Endgame. Aftermath is the first 12 chapter mini-series which details the events that happens in the two years after the end of Young Justice: Invasion and how everyone is dealing with events that took place in Endgame. A chapter will be added each Monday, with each one focusing on a specific character or set of characters.
1. Chapter 1- Artemis

**PALO ALTO**

**February 14, 00:00 PST**

**TEAM YEAR 7**

_To Artemis, with love, Wally_

_Happy Valentine's Day_

Artemis sat alone at the table. Her fingers wrapped around the envelope several times, but she couldn't bring herself to open it; the last thing her beloved left to her. The only person to ever break through her stone heart and show her what it meant to truly love, and he was gone-swooped away before she even had a chance to say goodbye; a chance to say how much she loved him. Her finger slipped under the envelope flap without even thinking, sliding it across the glue-glazed surface. The flap popped open, revealing a folded up card. Nothing fancy, just a simple piece of paper with a note on it. She slowly unfolded the slip, pausing before she could read what it said. Her emotions were running and she didn't know if she could bring herself to read his final message.

_Hey Babe,_

_ It's June now, but I knew I'd forget about today, so I figured I'd do this now. I know we've had our ups and downs lately. Every night I just sit here waiting for you to burst through the door, home from Chem, but that never happens. I miss you. I just want you to come home, but I know that you're away. You're helping our friends, and you're helping others, but you're leaving me in the dust. How ironic._

_ I love you, and no matter what happens, that'll never change. We'll take down the Reach, we'll be the heroes, and then once we finish, we'll be happy together again. We can grow old and raise a family of our own. Just remember, I'm always there for you, and I'll never leave._

_Love ya, Babe,_

_Wally._

Hands trembling, the note slips out of her hands, tears strolling down her puffy, red eyes. She could barely get breaths in between sobs. The tear-stained paper floated to the floor and her tears gathered in a puddle. She fell to her knees, sucking in air as she continued to cry. It seemed as if the room was spinning and all of her emotions were colliding inside of her.

She stumbled over to the bookshelf, stuffed with all the Harry Potter books, Wally's favorite. Despite his opposition to the concept of magic, he had always loved to read those books. She continued on through the house, reminiscing about all the details of their life together before his disappearance. She slowly opened up the door to the room they would sleep in together. Ever since the incident she'd been sleeping on the couch, trying to keep her memories of him lasting for as long as possible by keeping the bed exactly how it was before.

Of all the reminders of his death however, one stood out the most. Peering through her closet in her room, she could see two hangers dangling from the bar at the top. One had nothing on it; it formerly held Wally's old costume, but that was handed down to Bart, while the new one had of course gone with Wally. On the hanger beside it was a familiar, forest green suit with a light green arrow tip design emblazoned on the front. In the drawer below were various accessories: a pair of combat boots, fingerless gloves, and the matching, emerald quiver surrounded by discarded arrows that were sprawled throughout the base.

She reached in, pulling out one specific arrow. Wally had kept it as a souvenir after the battle with Amazo where she had saved the rest of the team. He kept it all these years as a reminder of their relationship and their first encounter, even though they had not actually seen each other in person. She could distinguish it from her other arrows because it was a prototype arrow from before she was brought into the team by Batman and Green Arrow. She'd never forget that first day on the job.

"Wall-Man, huh? Ah, love the uniform. What exactly _are _your powers?" Suddenly, it was as if Artemis had been transported back in time. The scenes flashed before her eyes like they were all happening all over again.

"Uh, who is this?" Years later she could see how embarrassed he really was at that moment by looking at his blushing face. She was distracted for a moment however by his freckles, and for the first time in a long time, she smiled.

"Artemis, your new teammate."

"Kid Flash, never heard of you."

"I won't hurt you, I-I'm one of the good guys. You know, Kid Flash." She now appeared in Bialya, during the mission where they had lost their memories. They'd gotten along so well when they had lost their memories, but had been rivals since the very first day they met. He'd probably held a grudge over what happened when he embarrassed himself at their first meeting.

Suddenly, the scenery changed. Artemis was sitting across from Black Canary of the league, during the counseling session after the disastrous virtual reality mission.

"You could start by admitting you're not really Green Arrow's niece," Black Canary suggested. Artemis remembered this perfectly. It had taken a long time before she felt comfortable revealing her true heritage to the team... to Wally.

"Right, could you imagine what Wally would do with that?" she threw back.

"Interesting. So the person you're most worried about… is Wally." She couldn't believe how long it took her. All along she had a team. She had friends. But she was so insecure and lost, feeling like there was no one she could trust. So she hid her true feelings, she put on a face and sucked it all up, just like she'd been doing with every else for the past eight months.

"I should've done this a long time ago." Again, she was in a different time and place. This time, it was New Year's Eve, the clock counting down to midnight.

"No kidding." His arms wrapped around her and picked her up like the hero in an old-fashioned movie sweeping the damsel in distress off her feet. She saw now that she really was the damsel and he had saved her from a life of secrets and bad decisions. He leaned in to kiss her just as the clock struck midnight.

"Babe, you're freaking out over nothing." Once again she was in a different location, standing face-to-face with Wally. The sight made her stomach churn as she falsely reassured him that she would be fine on her mission. If only she'd known. She should've never gone on that mission and left Wally behind. She endangered herself, and ultimately it cost _his_ life.

"Ah, ze Eiffel Tower and the ever romantic city of lights. We're definitely coming back here, babe, y'know, when we don't have a world to save." She was moving farther and farther down the timeline, and she knew what would be coming next. Her heart sank, knowing that he would never be going back to France, and never saving the day again.

"There will always be a world to save. Now drop me and go."

Finally, she was brought to his final mission—the one where he gave his life to save the entire planet. She leapt off the jet, running to the sight of the event, only to find that of the three speedsters who went in, only two had returned.

"Where's Wally?" she asked Flash, emotion building up inside of her. Even though she asked, she knew as well as they did what had happened to him.

"Artemis… He wanted me to tell you…"

"No… No…"

"He loved you," he said putting his hand on Artemis' shoulders as she fell to knees, tears streaming down her face. Finally she turned away from the vision, unable to bear the sight of Wally's death a second time. She closed her eyes to hold in the tears, and when she opened them, she had returned to the silent and still room.

Slowly, she walked to the closet, counting each step. She wrapped her hand around the closet door, taking one last moment to look back into her memories. She stared at her old outfit, dirt stains, holes, and all.

_Artemis died when Wally did,_ she thought to herself. She closed the door, reaching over to the dresser to grab the old, rusted key. She twisted the lock, sealing away the memories, and then walked to the bathroom, throwing the key into the toilet and flipping the handle down. The key was whisked away by the vortex and taken down to the sewers where it would never be seen again.

"Tigress, you're needed at HQ. Report ASAP," Aqualad's voice rang through the communicator attached to her belt. She stared into the mirror, looking at her burnt-orange suit that she had already put on. Her hand reached down and grabbed her matching mask off the side of the sink and placed it directly onto her face after wiping away the tears.

"Artemis is no more. There is only… Tigress."


	2. Chapter 2- Batman

**GOTHAM CITY**

**March 16, 21:16**

**TEAM YEAR 7**

"I've prepared the Batmobile, Master Bruce." Alfred slung his towel over his shoulder after having polished the car. Such a perfectionist, even though the car would get dirty again not two seconds after leaving the cave.

"Thank you, Alfred." Batman sat at his desk in the Batcave, a set of large screens set out in front of him. Several images were stuck to the screen, each showing a different location. He pressed a few buttons, zooming into one of the pictures to see a group of people all lying unconscious on the ground, their eyes wide open and creepy grins plastered to their faces.

"You worried?" Robin said as he appeared out of nowhere. Any normal person would've been scared half to death, but this was Batman.

"Do I look worried?" Batman responded.

"I can never tell with you." Robin peered over Batman's shoulder, trying to get a peek at some of the images on the screen so he could figure out what happened. "Joker?"

"Locked up in Arkham," Batgirl said, swinging on a pole and landing beside them. The monitors in front of Batman switched to security footage of Arkham Asylum, revealing the Joker wrapped up in a straitjacket in a padded, white room while laughing hysterically. The scene sped up as Batman rewound through the security footage. The timestamp went days back with no sign of the Joker ever having left.

"Get in," Batman stated bluntly, jumping into the Batmobile. Robin and Batgirl hopped in after as the entrance to the Batcave opened up, the Batmobile speeding between the metal doors and into the darkness.

**ARKHAM ASYLUM**

**March 16, 22:03**

**TEAM YEAR 7**

"Stay in the car," Batman ordered his two sidekicks. Despite the maximum security inside the asylum, it was still a dangerous place full of dangerous people. Robin and Batgirl frowned when he said this, but didn't dare challenge the Bat. He leapt behind the building and vanished into the inside.

"Batman, interesting meeting you here," Hugo Strange commented, his swivel chair twisting to face Batman. His hands were cuffed together and he had his typical grin on his face. "What can I help you with?"

"I need to see the Joker."

"Hm? And why's that?" Strange questioned. Batman reached into the darkness of his cape, pulling out several photographs which he slid across the desk. Strange took a minute to stare at them before his eyes widened and he understood. Standing up, he grabbed the key hanging on the wall and walked out the door. "Follow me."

He led Batman down the corridor with all the patients. Each door was labeled with its occupant, as many of the visitors were regulars. Lynns G. 0756. Fries V. 0778. Crane J. 0795. Finally, they reached the Joker's door at the very end of the hallway. Name Unknown locks on it were doubled compared to that of the other rooms and there were two guards standing outside. They stepped aside at the sight of Strange, allowing him to unlock the many locks to the cell. Inside, Joker was lying on his side, his face to the wall while laughing like a madman. The only other thing in the room besides him was a table off in the corner. There was a single, wooden chair next to it and a deck of playing cards spread out face up on the table, with a joker card noticeably on the top of the pile.

"I'll leave you two alone," Strange said, closing the cell door behind him. Joker rolled to face Batman, hysterical laughs slipping through his ruby lips.

"There were these two guys in a lunatic asylum…" Joker commented. Batman remained stolid, not wanting to budge to the Joker's lunacy. He threw down the same pictures he had shown Hugo Strange, and the Joker simply continued laughing, not because the pictures were amusing, but because it was his nature.

"Tell me what happened to these people," Batman demanded. The interrogation was not going over well between Batman's unwavering seriousness and the Joker's inability to give a straight answer.

"They went mad." Batman was not happy with this.

"I've been thinking lately about you and me. About what's going to happen to us, in the end. We're going to kill each other, aren't we? Perhaps you'll kill me. Perhaps I'll kill you. Perhaps sooner. Perhaps later. I just wanted to know that I'd made a genuine attempt to talk things over and avert that outcome. Just once."

"Are you listening to me? It's life and death that I'm discussing here. Maybe _my _death… Maybe yours… I don't fully understand why ours should be such a fatal relationship, but I don't want your murder on my hands…" The Joker remained completely silent, unwilling to give into Batman. He lunged across the table, wrapping his hands around Joker's neck and tightening them together, cutting off his air.

"Step back!" Several guards rushed into the room, but the Bat had already miraculously escaped into the night, no trace of him leftover in the completely locked down room. As Batman glided to the ground, the Joker's words echoed in his mind. Could the two of them really be just as crazy? He shook the idea off, landing with ease in the front seat of the Batmobile.

"How'd it go?" Robin asked. Batman remained silent, pulling out of the grim asylum. The Bat-Signal interrupted their trip back to the cave, Batman quickly changing his course to figure out what the situation was.

**GOTHAM CITY POLICE HEADQUARTERS**

**March 16, 22:47**

**TEAM YEAR 7**

"Batman!" Commissioner Gordon was waiting alone on the roof of the building with the Bat-Signal shining. The city would normally be very empty, but Gordon pointed across town to an area where a group of people were wandering around. He pulled out a pair of binoculars, zooming in to see several zombie-like citizens heading in the same direction to an unknown location. What was worse, their faces were ghostly and pale, their lips ruby red, and their hair colored with a green tint. Joker venom.

Without any further prompting, he leapt from the roof of the police headquarters, landing once again in the Batmobile. Batgirl was sitting shotgun, her back turned to face Robin as they played Chopsticks. The car began movement once more, but this time they would not get very far. While speeding down the road, a mindless citizen wandered into the road right in front of the Batmobile, forcing Batman to slam his foot on the brake just in time.

"Whoa, buddy, watch where you're going," Batgirl shouted out to him. He remained unfazed for a few seconds before turning his gaze to Batman. His smile grew even wider, as if that was even possible, and he snarled as he climbed onto the hood of the car, pouncing onto the others. Batgirl swiftly kicked him back onto the street, his body landing with a thud and losing consciousness.

"Barbara, be careful. They're ravenous but they're also innocent. This is not their doing," Batman warned. He shot out from the front seat, his cape flowing behind him, landing in front of a group of other zombie-like humans. Their reaction was exactly that of the other, all of them assaulting Batman in a mass attack. He easily disposed of all of them, subduing them without dealing any significant harm. They continued to come from all directions of the street, swarming to the Batmobile. Batgirl and Robin joined the fray, handling Batman's overflow. Their movements together were flawless, acting perfectly in unison while also being incredibly capable on their own; this was the training of the Bat.

"Everyone, back in the car!" Batman shouted. He retreated along with the others and hopped into the car, turning on the high beams to scare off the assailants. As the engine revved, many of them ran out of the way, while others simply ignored it and continued their assault, attaching themselves to the hood of the car as the Batmobile sped out of the area. Batman twisted the steering wheel sharply to the left, one of the zombies tumbling onto the ground. Another almost made his way into the car before being knocked out by Batgirl.

"There are too many!" Robin shouted, slapping another off the door. Finally, Batman threw the steering wheel to the right, swerving the car in a circle down the street and sending the remaining zombies flying. At last, the car reached Wayne Manor, heading down a secret ramp to the Batcave. All three immediately jumped out as soon as the car had come to a stop, bolting to the computer to see the security cameras from all around the city.

"We need to contain this," Batman said, the others nodding. There were only so many hours in the night and everyone knew Batman would never strike in the daylight. He opened up a map and pushed a few buttons on the humongous keyboard, a few red spots lighting up on the screen. A holographic screen came up from his glove and showed the map transferred there on a smaller scale. "We need to get out there now and handle as many of them as possible."

"Back so soon?" Alfred asked as he slung a towel over his shoulder and walked into the Batcave.

"Getting ready to leave again. I need you to use the data in the computer and the lab to formulate the antidote to the Joker venom, and call in the rest of the team," Batman ordered.

"The… rest of the team?" he asked hesitantly. Batman nodded solemnly, the others realizing just how serious the situation was if Batman was being reduced to calling in all of his former allies.

"Yes. Alfred. All of them."


	3. Chapter 3- Batman Part 2

**GOTHAM CITY**

**March 17, 2:16 EDT**

**TEAM YEAR 7**

"There's only a few more hours until daylight and we've barely dented Joker's army," Tim announced, his glove screen showing him all the events going on across town. He sped down the road on his motorcycle, his hand latched to a canister at his side. He reached one of the hotspots, zombies surrounding him on all side. "Got another," he said into the microphone in his helmet as the canister flew to the center of the swarm, releasing a colorless and odorless gas that knocked the zombies out instantly.

"Are we even sure this is the Joker?" Barbara questioned, once again pointing out the Joker's current status.

"Master Bruce," Alfred's voice buzzed through all the speakers. "We have a problem. A rather large swarm of zombies is heading straight for Wayne Manor." The others stopped instantly, realizing how serious the situation was. If the zombies raided the building and discovered that Bruce Wayne and Batman were one and the same.

"Everyone, report back to the cave immediately," Batman stated bluntly. Robin and Batgirl hesitated due to the swarms of zombies in a number of other locations, but once again did not dare challenge Batman's authority. They turned their bikes around and set a course for Wayne Manor.

**ARKHAM ASYLUM**

**March 17, 2:42 EDT**

**TEAM YEAR 7**

"So, what's the plan, Stan?" Joker asked, laughing like a maniac in the process.

"It's Strange to you, and the plan is already in motion. You've completed your end of the bargain," Strange stated dourly, shooing away Joker.

"Well you're no fun. Why the obsession with Wayne Manor?"

"I have my reasons," he said with a slight grin popping up on his face. "I'm very interested to see how Batman deals with this situation. Maybe he'll break; maybe he'll thwart our plans." The Joker crawled up behind him with a quizzical look on his face.

"So… You gonna let me out?" he asked. Strange's grin quickly faded into a frown as he turned around to see Joker flat on the ground in front of him smiling hopefully.

"I suppose. You held up your end of the bargain. We need a cover story. How would it reflect on me if you just somehow managed to escape?"

"Already got that covered," Joker responded. He rustled around within his straightjacket before pushing a button on a device in his pocket. The entire building shook as if an earthquake occurred, and glass could be seen falling to the ground outside. Joker continued to laugh like a hyena before sliding out of his straightjacket with ease. Strange could've restrained him again, but there was no point. Joker threw the straightjacket off, revealing his sharp purple suit, completely intact. He opened up the window to Strange's office, leaping out and tugging a string on his suit. He parachuted down to the pavement, landing in a well-placed getaway car that took him off into the night.

"Idiot," Strange said as he pushed a button underneath his desk. The wall directly in front of it split in two and separated, revealing a set of monitors which showed different angles of Wayne Manor. "Now the fun begins."

**WAYNE MANOR**

**March 17, 3:16 EDT**

**TEAM YEAR 7**

"Batgirl, take the east wing. Robin, west ring. I'll cover the entrance. Don't let anyone near any of the Batcave entrances. That's top priority," Batman commanded, formulating a plan to cover the defenseless Wayne Manor. The zombies rushed from all sides, but the stream didn't seem to stop.

"Where are they all coming from?" Batgirl asked, roundhouse kicking several zombies.

"This was their target all along," Robin deduced. "Whoever orchestrated this plan strategically set this place as the target for some reason. The question is why." His staff waved effortlessly from foe to foe sending them all flying one at a time.

"Didn't we call in reinforcements?" Batgirl asked with an irritated tone.

"We can't count on them. We have to fight as if they're not going to show up, because for all we know, they won't," Batman assured them. They continued to knock zombies around but there was seemingly no end. "Alfred, how's the antidote?"

"Slow, sir," Alfred replied. Batman grunted and pushed the center button on his utility belt, sending a grappling hook flying up to the top of the building. He shot all the way up, and then threw down several capsules which exploded with the same gas as before. The droves of people dropped like flies, granting a temporary reprieve.

"Batman, we can't keep this up," Robin yelled to the others. Batgirl shrugged it off, barely managing to keep up with the army without the others distracting her. Just when all hope seemed lost, a familiar face shot towards Wayne Manor at top speed, leaping off and doing a triple somersault in the air, landing with ease in front of Batgirl.

"Hey, Babs," Nightwing said, leaning in for a brief kiss before pulling out his two Eskrima sticks from the holster around his thigh. A pulse of blue electricity ran throughout them, sending a shock through all the people it touched. "The voltage is similar to a taser, so it'll only stun them, not kill them," Nightwing reassured Batgirl, who was temporarily stunned when she had first seen the sticks in action.

It was not long before another guest arrived by the name of Spoiler. Her motorcycle was not nearly as advanced as the rest of the Bat Family's due to her not being an "official" member, so she arrived at a much slower rate and in a much less dramatic fashion than Nightwing, but arrived nonetheless.

"Steph!" Robin shouted to his girlfriend. The two had not seen each other much lately between their crime fighting schedules, so they'd take any chance to see each other regardless of the situation. He back flipped onto one of the zombies, and then back flipped once again to land right-side-up in front of Spoiler. She lifted her mask briefly to allow him a kiss, and then they began combo moves to subdue the zombies.

"Only one more…" Batman mumbled under his breath, spraying several zombies with antidote.

"Even with reinforcements, how are we supposed to bring down _all _of these zombies," Nightwing questioned.

"Alfred's making a large enough batch of the antidote to blanket the entire area and cure all of these people, but there's no telling how long it could take," Batman informed the newcomers. Suddenly, all the people in the area were attacked by a huge, vicious gust and a brutally loud noise. They eventually realized that it was a rather large helicopter, which dropped a lengthy ladder. A figured began climbing down it, but no one could make out who it was until it landed firmly on the ground, revealing herself to be Talia al Ghul. She leaned in to kiss Batman, embracing him for a moment while they ignored the zombies.

"What is this, a zombie romance?" A final figure appeared from the shadows, a gun in each hand. His entire head was covered by a red helmet and he wore a blood-red bat symbol on his chest.

"Uh, who is this?" Robin asked. Everyone remained silent, unable to make out who was behind the helmet. They all stopped to ponder who could possibly be inside, but no one could reach any logical conclusions.

"I'm the Red Hood," he stated simply, spinning his gun and shooting two of the zombies in their legs. Without hesitation, Batman pounced on him, prepared to take him down, but his adversary was well trained and dodged any advances on him. "I'm not your enemy."

"Prove it," Batman grunted angrily. Drop the guns and fight by yourself.

"I don't need to prove anything to you," he retorted. After a few seconds of thought, he realized it would be best not to make an enemy out of Batman, and dropped the guns before knocking out a handful of zombies.

"Aw, it's a family reunion." Batman recognized the voice instantly but could not make out where it came from until he realized the voice was buzzing over the loudspeakers of the manor. "Sorry I'm late, Bats. Got a little _held up_," he joked before revealing himself as the Joker. His obnoxious purple and green car shot out from over the hill, knocking many of the zombies out of the way with a path to Batman. Just as the car was about to run him over, Batman rolled over the windshield, gripping the back of the car as it was brought to a stop.

"Joker!" Batman shouted, trying to regain his composure. Before anyone could get their hands on him, he threw an open canister of Joker gas into the air. Spoiler and Red Hood had filters built into their masks to protect them, Talia had built up immunity to such poisons, and Batman immediately pulled a single syringe from his belt, driving it into his arm immediately to counteract the venom. Nightwing was able to back flip out of the way before it could reach him and put a gas mask on, but Robin and Batgirl were both left vulnerable and inhaled a severe dose of the venom.

"Take that, Bats," Joker taunted, jumping out of the way and pulling a gun. Red Hood dove for his gun too, but by the time he reached it, two gunshots had already been fired.

"Tim…" Spoiler said, catching Robin as he fell to his knees, a bullet through his chest.

"Barbara…" Nightwing said, similarly catching the injured Batgirl. Both had been shot in deadly places and had to be treated immediately.

"Get them inside, now!" Batman thundered as Nightwing and Spoiler carried their fallen lovers inside the manor. "Alfred, release all of the antidote we have immediately!" Within seconds, the colorless gas was dispersed throughout the grounds of Wayne Manor, curing the zombies and knocking them all instantly. Joker bolted for his car, hopping in and immediately taking off, with the Batmobile not far behind.

"You'll never catch me, Bats!" he shouted, flicking switches and pushing buttons on his dashboard. Ink, marbles, and other prank-like obstacles were released from his car, severely slowing down Batman and even temporarily knocking him off course. After getting the car back together, Batman noticed a large Ferris wheel in the horizon.

**GOTHAM CITY CARNIVAL**

**March 17, 5:32 EDT**

**TEAM YEAR 7**

They entered the carnival grounds, speeding past abandoned, broken-down carnival rides and making their way to the House of Mirrors.

"All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy," Joker taunted, vanishing into the hall of mirrors. "That's how far the world is from where I am. Just one bad day. You had a bad day once, am I right? I know I am. I can tell. You had a bad day and everything changed. Why else would you dress up like a flying rat? You had a bad day, and it drove you as crazy as everybody else… Only you won't admit it! You have to keep pretending that life makes sense. That there's some point to all this struggling." The entire time Joker was speaking, Batman was chasing him through the house of mirrors, unable to track him due to the reflections. Finally, he focused on Joker's voice and was able to deduce where it was coming from, crashing through the mirrors and grabbing him by his collar.

"It doesn't have to end like this. I don't know what it was that bent your life out of shape, but who knows? Maybe I've been there too. Maybe I can help," Batman offered, putting his hand out to Joker.

"No. It's too late for that. Far too late. Y'know, it's funny… this situation. It reminds me of a joke. See, there were these two guys in a lunatic asylum… And one night, they decide they don't like living in an asylum any more. They decide they're going to escape! So, like, they get up onto the roof, and there, just across this narrow gap, they see the rooftops of the town, stretching away in the moonlight… Stretching away to freedom.

"Now, the first guy, he jumps right across with no problem. But his friend, his friend daren't make the leap. Y'see… Y'see, he's afraid of falling. So then, the first guy has an idea… He says "Hey! I have my flashlight with me! I'll shine it across the gap between the buildings. You can walk along the beam and join me!" B-but the second guy just shakes his head. He suh-says… He says "Wh-what do you think I am? _Crazy?_ You'd turn it off when I was halfway across!" The Joker spiraled into a deep laugh, falling to his knees and howling like a hyena.

Batman first grinned, then followed Joker and began laughing along with him. His laugh quickly turned from humored to maniacal however, and he reached his hand out to grab Joker by the collar, pulling him into the shadows.


	4. Chapter 4- Nightwing

**BLÜDHAVEN**

**April 1, 21:16 EDT**

**TEAM YEAR 7**

"Just another night," Dick reassured himself as he grabbed his black costume from the foot of the bed, slipping the skin-tight suit on and slipping it on. He stared at the bright blue insignia on the front, not even sure who "Dick Grayson" was anymore. Ever since Joker had attacked Gotham, nothing had been the same. He'd drowned himself in his work, merging himself with his Nightwing persona until they became one and the same.

He reached for his cell phone, typing in a familiar string of digits that he'd easily memorized over time. The phone rang six times, each one a dagger in his chest, before it released a clicking noise. Dick sat up hopefully, thinking that the phone had been answered, but was disappointed to find out he'd gone to voicemail.

"Hey, this is Barbara," the voice on the side spoke. "Sorry I couldn't get to the phone. Leave me a message and I'll call you back as soon as possible!" The dreaded beeping noise came next, signaling him to leave a message, but he just sat there in silence for a moment before shakily ending the call with the bright red "END" button. He fell back on the bed, cupping his hands to his face and letting out a deep breath.

He turned his head to a chair in the corner of his apartment, noticing his regular clothes or "civvies" as he referred to them. His frown changed to a very slight smile, and he grabbed the clothes, determined to do something for himself for once.

**CLUB NEON**

**April 1, 21:53 EDT**

**TEAM YEAR 7**

Dick's motorcycle came to a halt in front of the flashy, neon nightclub as he admired the bright outside. He hopped off, straightening his leather jacket and strutting through the doors, winking at a small gathering of doors by the entrance. He continued his strut towards the bar, and then took a seat next to a slim, blonde woman.

"Mmm," she said, taking a look at Dick and scanning him from head to toes before turning back to the bartender.

"Shot of liquor," she told him, barely managing to get all of the words out. Dick pulled out a bill, slapping it on the counter in front of her, forcing a giggle out of her. "Is this some sort of creepy pick-up?" she asked with a laugh. Dick pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket, flashing all the bills. "Oh, so you're _that _guy."

"I'm just looking for some fun," Dick responded, immediately realizing how creepy it sounded.

"And again." She smiled her drunken smile at him, guzzling down another shot.

"Two more," Dick ordered the bartender.

"Oh, you don't have to do that," she said to him.

"I'm not. They're for me," Dick stated, sucking down both of the shots and shaking them off. "Let's get out of here."

**BLÜDHAVEN**

**April 1, 22:19 EDT**

**TEAM YEAR 7**

"Whoo!" The girl from the bar fell backwards in bed, her hands reaching to the top. Her breath was heavy, as was Dick's, and they plopped back, barely able to even mood. "That was great," she commented to him, forcing a smile across his normally stolid face. That had easily been the best moment Dick had had in a very long time, but he felt slightly guilty.

_She dumped me. Not the other way around._ He reassured himself in his mind and shook off the guilt, simply enjoying the moment. "Ready for round two?" He smirked at her, but their conversation was cut short by a loud beeping coming from within the closet. Dick didn't dare say anything, but he knew what he had to do. He leapt out of the bed and snatched his Nightwing outfit, slipping the skin-tight suit on again, but this time fully intending to get involved in some action.

"Uh, what's going on?" She wrapped the soft, white sheets around her abdomen and hopped out of the bed, trying to see what he was doing as he ran into the bathroom.

"I have to go now," Dick said bluntly, zipping up the back of his suit and attaching his Eskrima stick holster to his right thigh. "People need help."

"Are you-?" She was cut short by him flying out of his apartment window and gliding to the ground. He did a double somersault, landing perfectly on the seat of his motorcycle and kicking it into gear. It was only then that the girl realized the Nightwing insignia on the side of the back. She flung herself back on the bed, wondering exactly what had just happened.

**BLÜDHAVEN WAREHOUSE**

**April 1, 22:42 EDT**

**TEAM YEAR 7**

Nightwing stared at his handheld crime fighting assistant, a small arrow-shaped figure appearing as him on the screen and directing him in the direction of the call for help.

_Why would anyone else be here in Blüdhaven?_ He thought to himself, wondering why any of his team members would show up in the horrid Blüdhaven, let alone get into a serious issue there. "Hello?" he shouted into the warehouse, the echo bouncing off every wall and making his voice immensely louder. He got an ominous feeling, so he pulled out his Eskrima sticks, setting them to prepare an electric jolt in case of an ambush.

Rustling could be heard from behind one of the boxes, and Dick figured it would be best to check behind and see if it was one of his teammates or perhaps whatever enemy they had been facing when they had called for help. He pushed piled and piles of boxes out of his way and made it over to the other side of the warehouse, becoming incredibly cautious at that point.

"Meow," a call came from behind the box. He lifted the highest box up to see simply a stray cat, trapped in the warehouse. It screeched at him on sight and bolted for the door in an attempt to escape, leaving Nightwing curious about what the situation was with the emergency call. Before he even had a chance to react, a bullet hit the ground directly in front of Nightwing's feet, prompting him to jump back and prepare himself for an onslaught.

"Sorry, forgot you don't use guns," a figure said as it emerged from between two towers of cardboard. His familiar split mask with a single eye hole instantly made him aware of the attacker. Deathstroke. In his palm was the communicator the team would use in case of an emergency.

"How did you get that?" Nightwing prodded, fearing that Deathstroke had killed one of his teammates and taken their communicator to alert Nightwing and drag him into a trap.

"Relax, I didn't kill anyone for it." He threw the communicator to the ground, smashing it with is powerful foot and grabbing a sword from its sheath around his waist. Charging, he effortlessly threw the weight of the sword around in fluent motions with Nightwing attempting to block each one with his dual sticks.

"Who put you up to this?" Nightwing asked.

"Now that wouldn't be fair," Slade responded, flipping the sword around and knocking Nightwing back with the handle, preparing to deal a finishing blow. Nightwing was prepared however and he wrapped his feet around Deathstroke's legs, twisting them and causing Deathstroke to lose balance. In the half-second Deathstroke was falling, he grabbed a gun from his side, and fired it in Nightwing's direction, who barely dodged it.

Nightwing managed to get the upper hand for a mere second, grazing Deathstroke with his electricity-powered Eskrima sticks and releasing a high voltage on Deathstroke which stunned him long enough for Nightwing to backflip several times and land on top of a stack of boxes. Deathstroke mimicked his movements, also ending up on top of a pile of boxes, forcing them into an elevated match.

"Just like old time," Nightwing stated nostalgically, toying with his enemy instead of giving in. The two of them launched themselves at each other, flinging their swords and sticks around effortlessly. They were performing an aerial dance, their sword movements as fluent as that of an incredibly well-trained dancer. Just when it seemed they would not be able to outmatch each other, Deathstroke gained a momentary upper hand, grazing Nightwing's leg with his sword while in midair, throwing him off balance.

As he hurtled towards the ground, Nightwing slowly slipped into the darkness and eventually went completely unconscious before hitting the ground with a thud.

**UNKNOWN LOCATION**

**April 1, 23:16 EDT**

**TEAM YEAR 7**

"I assume the deed is done?" A circular table sat in the middle of a darkened room with each seat occupied by a mysterious and shadowed figure. In the very center of the council-like group stood Deathstroke, sheathing his lethal sword.

"I have delivered the target as requested," Deathstroke answered.

"Perfect. My associate will discuss compensation with you," the apparent leader responded. One of the many council members arose and led Deathstroke out to another room, leaving the shadowy figures together.

"What now?" one of them asked.

"Simple," the leader responded. "We activate him."


	5. Chapter 5- The Team

**APOKOLIPS**

**July 4, 7:16**

**TEAM YEAR 7**

A large, menacing figure towered over his associates, his fingers tapping one at a time with impatience. Sitting in a smaller and less threatening seat beside him was Vandal Savage, the leader of the Light, who had long been strategizing to conquer the Earth with Darkseid's assistance. Finally, their plan would come to fruition.

"Where is my ship?" Darkseid boomed. A number of his subjects scrambled to his throne, presenting themselves in a line. "Speak!" he shouted again, shocking the troops and causing them to tremble. A lone, brave troop stepped forward, preparing to speak to his king.

"The Warworld is not yet ready, master," he spoke. Darkseid frowned and his fingers ceased movement as he turned his gaze to the soldier before him, firing a bright red Omega Beam that sent the soldier flying back and killing him instantly.

"Arm the troops and send them down immediately!" Darkseid commanded. The troops against scrambled to gather up weapons and ships began departing with a single target: Earth. Granny Goodness approached Darkseid slowly, completely unfazed by the surrounding chaos.

"The Furies are ready. Shall I send them down?" she questioned. Darkseid's frown turned to a smile as he nodded his head. Granny Goodness smiled back and left the area to gather up the Furies and send them down with the army of Parademons.

**WATCHTOWER**

**July 4, 8:34**

**TEAM YEAR 7**

"Dinah, they're everywhere," Green Arrow said to his lover and superior as he rushed into the Justice League Headquarters. The huge monitors that lined the halls of the Watchtower showed views of the entire world, showcasing the alien invasion that was occurring. Parademons and other armed Apokoliptan soldiers slaughtered innocent people across the planet and there was only so much that the league could do.

"Calling all League members," Dinah spoke into her communicator. "An assault has been launched on Earth and we need all members out in the field helping to fight off the forces." She clicked her communicator off, sighed, and turned to Green Arrow, embracing him due to the overwhelming circumstances. "We need to get out there," she told him firmly. He nodded and placed his arm around her shoulder, turning her towards the Zeta-Beam.

**GOTHAM CITY**

**July 4, 9:13 EDT**

**TEAM YEAR 7**

A tall woman clad in star-spangled clothes and wielding a lasso stood at the door of a small house in Gotham City, banging her fist against the door numerous times.

"Coming!" the woman inside screamed as she stomped to the door. The woman inside threw the door open, staring the oddly-clothed Wonder Woman down from head to toe.

"We need your help. It's Darkseid," she stated bluntly. Big Barda sighed and walked back into her house, throwing open a closet door to reveal a set of golden, Apokoliptan armor.

"On my way."

**APOKOLIPS**

**July 4, 9:24 EDT**

**TEAM YEAR 7**

"Is the ship ready yet?" Darkseid thundered. Granny Goodness came to his side with a grin and a crystal in hand, presenting it to her master with a bow.

"Finally!" he shouted. Power thirsty, he grabbed the crystal from her hand and took off to the Warworld, entering the ship and heading straight for his control chair. "Yes! Yes!" He took control of the Warworld, activating all of its weapons and its engine. The ship took off at top speed towards Earth, practically warping there due to the speed.

**EARTH**

**July 4, 9:31**

**TEAM YEAR 7**

Armies of Parademons marched in lines throughout towns and cities, firing on innocent civilians. Heroes raced to their locations to fight off the armies, but there were too many soldiers and not enough time to fight of all of them and protect every civilian.

"Feel my wrath!" Darkseid shouted from his planet-sized ship as it approached the Earth. Lasers begin to activate from all sides, charging their deadly pulses.

"The Fourth of July has once again been used as a day for villainy to run rampa-" The TV reporter was cut when a huge blast of energy shot through the store where the TV was being displayed and destroyed everything in the surrounding area.

"Hahaha, yes!" Darkseid continued to unleash his assault of lasers and missiles alike on all areas, including those that contained his own soldiers. His lust for power had driven him mad beyond the point of no return. He cared for nothing but his own personal gain.

"Watch out!" Flash shouted from the streets below, speeding over and grabbing a bystander that was seconds away from being annihilated by the Warworld. As the fastest man on the team, he was the only one could both take out soldiers and save civilians at the same time and at a rapid rate.

**WATCHTOWER**

**July 4, 11:21**

**TEAM YEAR 7**

"Manta, I need you to gather your team," Black Canary stated, frantically switching back and forth from screen to screen trying to watch what was going on everywhere.

"Pardon?" Manta asked, unsure why she would be delegating a mission to the junior team at such a time like this.

"Every League member is currently on the ground fighting off the invasion, but there's no way we can stop it down here. I need your team to infiltrate the Warworld and take out the ship from the source." The team had not gotten much action lately so a mission such as this was welcomed by Manta and the rest of team.

**CENTRAL CITY**

**July 4, 11:34**

**TEAM YEAR 7**

"Iris, I need you and the kids to get out of here immediately," Flash said to his wife, pulling off his mask. He only had a minute to rest with all the chaos going on, so he needed to make the most of it.

"Get out? I need to get a story!" she responded. He sighed and tipped his head towards the twins lying in their crib, directing her attention to it too. She had to consider the lives on not only herself, but her children too. She grabbed the two kids and ran through the door, dodging blasts left and right. Barry stopped to watch her for a moment and make sure she got away to safety, but he had to keep going.

He sped outside, knocking a small group of people out of the way before they could be hit by a huge blast. Having shooed them to safety, he continued to go around before being stopped by a fellow speedster blocking his path: the original Flash—Jay Garrick.

"Jay!" he shouted, welcoming his old friend.

"Heard you could use some help," Jay responded, tipping his winged, metal cap and placing it back on his head. The two speedsters began to work in unison, grabbing people left and right and throwing people out of the way while also trying to protect themselves from each of the blasts.

**STAR CITY**

**July 4, 12:12**

**TEAM YEAR 7**

"Dinah, how are things looking up there?" Green Arrow was on the ground, shooting arrows at nearby Parademons and doing acrobatic moves to dodge incoming blasts.

"Not good," Black Canary responded through the communicator. A red arrow shot across the street, impaling itself in a building directly next to Green Arrow's head, with the assailant stepping forward and revealing herself to be Arrowette.

"Cissie!" Green Arrow shouted, glad that he finally had some help with the situation. She had recently taken up the mantle of Green Arrow's sidekick after Tigress had given all of her time to leading the team with Manta.

"You could use some help," she stated, grabbing two arrows from her quiver and shooting them simultaneously to hit two Parademons at the same time. To match this, Green Arrow grabbed three arrows from his quiver and imitated Cissie, though clearly one-upping her.

**GOTHAM CITY**

**July 4, 12:27**

**TEAM YEAR 7**

Big Barda and Wonder Woman were surrounded by a group of Parademons, grinning at each other because of the fun challenge that was standing right in front of them. Wonder Woman expanded her lasso, wrapping it around two of the Parademons and throwing them in a circle so they sent a number of other ones flying. Big Barda twisted her staff in every direction effortlessly, smacking several Parademons back within second and landing them on the ground.

"You look like you could use some help," a deep voice remarked. Neither heroine could see anybody, but the voice was almost instantly recognizable. From the shadows, several attacks were launched using bat-shaped objects that knocked out several Parademons. Wonder Woman smiled before flying off, preparing to protect another area.

"Good luck, Diana," the man from the shadows commented to her.

**CENTRAL CITY**

**July 4, 12:43**

**TEAM YEAR 7**

"Bart, look out!" Blue Beetle shouted, warning his partner of an incoming blast. The speedster dodged it with ease and cannonballed himself into several Parademons while Blue Beetle launched a sonic assault on them, attempting to not get Kid Flash stuck in the crossfire.

"Why don't we get to go up with the rest of the team?" Bart whined. Due to his speed abilities, he was far better off on the ground keeping civilians safe, and Manta didn't dare assign Kid Flash to one place without Blue Beetle.

"You know why we're here, they needed you protecting civilians," Blue Beetle reminded him. Both of them were immediately reminded of the stories they'd heard about the old Kid Flash where he sacrificed a mission with the team and ended up saving a young girl's life. They both tipped their heads for a moment to remember the fallen, then continued on with their work fighting off the Parademons.


End file.
